Wildlife officials in the Florida Everglades have captured a 17ft Burmese python thought to be the largest ever snake to be caught in the nature reserve.
The female snake weighed 140lb (63.5kg) and was carrying 73 developing eggs.
Researchers at Big Cypress National Preserve use an innovative approach to help eradicate pythons, which are a major threat to the state’s native wildlife.
The researchers track down breeding females by fitting male pythons with radio transmitters.
“The team tracked one of the sentinel males with the transmitter and found this massive female nearby,” the park said on Facebook.
“The team not only removes the invasive snakes, but collects data for research, develop new removal tools, and learn how the pythons are using the Preserve.”
Burmese pythons caught in Florida are often 6-10 feet long, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The species is native to Asia, where they can commonly reach 18 feet and exceed 20 feet.
The snakes were first spotted in Florida’s Everglades in the 1980s and they have since been considered an invasive species.
Its believed they have been released as overgrown pets and others escaped from a breeding facility destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Tens of thousands of Burmese pythons are estimated to be now living in the area.
